Super Mario RPG: Best equipment and weapons
Super Mario RPG for the Nintendo Switch is, as the name suggests, an RPG, and it’s filled with all the RPG tropes you’d expect. A magic system, party management, big, bombastic boss fights — Super Mario RPG has it all. It’s also got a lot of equipment, made up of three slots: weapons, armor, and accessories.
There’s a surprisingly large amount of equipment in Super Mario RPG, and figuring out what weapons and equipment to use isn’t easy. That’s why we put together this handy guide to help you pick the best equipment and weapons to use in Super Mario RPG.
Super Mario RPG: best weapons
Every character has a few different kinds of weapons, and while for the most part they only really affect the animation that plays and how much damage is done, different weapon types have different timings for timed attacks. Some of these timings are a little more predictable and reliable than others, and as such, weapons that have better timings are usually a better choice, even if another weapon has slightly higher stats.
Here are the weapon types we’ve found are the most reliable and easiest to use for each character:
- Mario: Hammers
- Mallow: Sticks
- Geno: Punch
- Bowser: Chomp
- Peach: Fan
How easily you adapt to the timing of a particular weapon type will vary from person to person, so it’s best to try out different weapons when you get them just to see how it feels.
Super Mario RPG: best armor
As a general rule, if a piece of armor makes all of your stats go up compared to the currently equipped one, you should probably equip that new piece instead. That said, there is one item in particular that’s had a huge boost compared to the original: the Work Pants in the Moleville item shop.
The Work Pants provide between 5 and 15 to every single stat, making them the best all-rounder armor in the game. Most other armor pieces will only boost one or two stats, although will typically do so to a greater degree. Still, having every stat boosted is a huge boon, and the Work Pants are very cheap, at just 22 coins apiece. What’s more, they’re pretty much the only armor pieces that will work for every single character, so you can buy five right away and be set for most of the game.
Super Mario RPG: best accessories
Most accessories don’t provide much in the way of stat boosts, but they do have special effects that help in and outside of battle. There are dozens of accessories, each of which do different things, but we’ve outlined the most useful ones below, along with where to get them and what they do.
Safety Badge
The Safety Badge is one of the most useful accessories in the game, effectively acting as five accessories in one. It prevents the Mute, Scarecrow, Fear, Mushroom, Sleep, and Poison status effects, all of which can be devastating. You can get the Safety Badge by defeating Hidon on the Sunken Ship.
Jinx Belt
The Jinx Belt is one of the accessories that provides a stat boost, and a big one at that. Equipping the Jinx Belt will increase your attack and defense by 27 points each, and your speed by 12 — absolutely massive boosts for physical attackers like Mario and Geno. You can get the Jinx Belt by defeating Jinx in Monstro Town.
Signal Ring
As mentioned in our Super Mario RPG tips and tricks guide, the Signal Ring is something you’ll want to equip right away and keep equipped for most of the game. Having it equipped to a character displays a message when you’re in an area with a hidden item chest, though it won’t tell you exactly where it is. Unlike in the original, where the Signal Ring is a late-game item, in the remake the accessory is given to you during the Surprise Box tutorial right at the start of the game.
Exp. Booster
The Exp. Booster is pretty straightforward: it doubles the experience gained for the character that has the accessory equipped. We’d recommend putting it on Bowser, just because he’s probably the most useful character in the late-game and you’ll want to max out his level as soon as possible. It can be bought with frog coins from the Frog Coin Emporium on the second floor of the elder’s house in Seaside Town after the villagers have been freed.
Flower Ring
The Flower Ring is another vital item, especially for spellcasters Mallow and Peach. It cuts the cost of FP in half during battle, effectively allowing you to get out twice as many attacks before having to use a recovery item. Like the Exp. Booster, the Flower Ring can be purchased from the Frog Coin Emporium in Seaside Town. It’s a bit expensive, at 60 frog coins, but well worth the investment.
